End Zone: Different look at the draft

Clock ticking After going 6-11 in the season's first three weeks, the
Colorado Rockies probably have no more than three more weeks to wake
up, or the vultures will begin to surround manager Clint Hurdle.

See the headline? University of Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen,
battling Cody Hawkins for the starting job, broke his right
(throwing) thumb in CU's spring game, forcing surgery that could
leave the Buffs perilously thin at QB if the recovery is slow.

Off the air? If you get Comcast's sports tier, you might lose the NFL
Network on Friday. The two sides can't agree on a contract. No big
deal now, but in August it will be.

Don't miss it Saturday brings the 135th Kentucky Derby, race coverage
starting at 2 p.m. on NBC with post time at 4:04. If you're looking
for a longshot, check out Papa Clem, with 14-1 odds starting the
week.

By now, almost every pro football analyst in America has fired shots
at the Denver Broncos, in particular new head coach Josh
McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders, for some of
their unexpected, almost shocking decisions around the NFL Draft.

Omigod, Knowshon Moreno with the 12th pick overall? Why not
defensive lineman Brian Orakpo of Texas? Why not wait until the
18th pick and get Moreno then?

It didn't end there. Holy Shanahan, trading a first-round pick next
year for a No. 2 now? And using that to take a small cornerback from
Wake Forest instead of linebacker ReyMaualuga of
Southern Cal?

Trading into the end of the second round — to get a tight end
who might've lasted until the fifth round? Choosing two safeties and no
linebackers? Dealing away another pick for next year, just to get
Fresno State's quarterback in the sixth round?

Questions, doubts, second-guesses, criticism.

Yes, it was an unpredictable draft. We knew that ahead of time. And
yes, Denver still has to be concerned about the defense, especially at
linebacker. But instead of condemning the Broncos' front-office
performance last weekend, how about chewing on a different set of
conclusions:

• Moreno might be the steal of the draft. Nobody is arguing
that he was the best running back available, and he built that
reputation at Georgia against the Southeastern Conference's fierce,
super-quick defenses. Moreno could have an impact comparable to
Minnesota's Adrian Peterson in 2007. But even with a more modest
rookie season, providing a steady presence and a constant threat,
Moreno can give Denver its best offensive balance in years. No other
college runner could provide that, and the Broncos weren't willing to
gamble on him lasting until No. 18.

• There's a different message in using 2010 picks now. If
cornerback Alphonso Smith can improve Denver's pass defense, as
it appears he can, nobody will miss Dré Bly. Furthermore,
trading a first-round pick next year for a gifted defender now means
McDaniels and Xanders aren't taking a slow, patient path toward
creating a playoff team. They want to win now, in 2009. And they still
have Chicago's No. 1 pick for next year, thanks to a certain trade.

• Tom Brandstater might be a great fit. Certainly,
Denver had to have another quarterback, so rest assured the coaches and
management evaluated everyone, and the Broncos had their pick of many
excellent quarterbacks who led their teams to bowls last year (such as
Missouri's Chase Daniel, Texas Tech's Graham Harrell,
Michigan State's Brian Hoyer, Clemson's Cullen Harper and
Alabama's John Parker Wilson). At 6-foot-5, Brandstater fits the
long-and-lean physical mold of Denver's Kyle Orton and Chris
Simms, both 6-foot-4 as is McDaniels' prize pupil, Tom Brady
at New England. You'll see a lot of Brandstater in the preseason, and
then he'll carry a clipboard. Someday, he could do much more.

• Having a top-notch blocking tight end will help. Granted,
Denver could have waited and still nabbed North Carolina's Richard
Quinn. But again, if the staff felt he filled a definite need
— fans will remember the Broncos' red-zone and short-yardage
troubles last year — why not?

• The coaches must like some defensive guys already on the
roster, such as linebacker Andra Davis (a proven starter at
Cleveland), and perhaps they see Elvis Dumervil and Tim
Crowder as outside linebackers (where they've already taken
offseason snaps) in the 3-4 defense. My guess is Denver will still look
for another veteran inside linebacker, someone who could start now and,
with luck, also be a team leader.

• Denver kicked butt inside the AFC West. No other team in the
division came close to drafting as many players capable of making an
instant difference. Oakland was a complete joke, Kansas City will
regret taking LSU defensive lineman Tyson Jackson instead of
Wake Forest's super linebacker Aaron Curry, and San Diego made
some surprisingly strange picks with the notable exception of Colorado
State runner Gartrell Johnson.

Does this mean the Broncos will be the NFL's surprise team of 2009?
Probably not against their killer schedule.